A second chance
by Karleyn
Summary: A minute can change so much. For example it can give someone time to get in place early enough to save a life...


A minute can change a lifetime

With their school crashing down around them all Ruby and her friends care about is to bring as many people as possible into safety.

Ruby was so scared. Yang lay on the floor, her arm lost. How often had that arm cradled her when she was scared. And now it was lost. Blake was hurt, too. And crying next to Yang. But Team RWBY was all there. Team JNPR was not. Ruby answered her scroll and to her horror learned that Pyrrha had gone up the tower to face Cinder in her own. And without hesitation she and Weiss ran off to join her. They had to fight several grimm to get there. Weiss created a line of her glyphs for Ruby to run up the side of the tower. She watched her with worry and pride.

Ruby ran as fast as she could and Weiss helped her with a boost from her gravity glyphs. And then she arrived. She found Pyrrha kneeling on the floor, defeated. And Cinder. She thought she was a friend of them. Another student from a different academy coming to Beacon for the tournament. And now she smirked at Ruby before aiming an arrow at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha was exhausted. She had given everything she had, including a chance to be in a relationship with Jaune. She had wanted it so badly all these months and now here she was. It felt like a different life that she kissed him, just that one time. But it was her last thought. That she had kissed him before coming up here to die. And then she heard someone running up the side of the tower. That was a strange thing to do. She turned her head and saw Ruby coming up. She gasped. 'No! Run for safety. Look after Jaune' she had no strength to say these words anymore. She pleaded with her eyes. Then the world turned silver like moonlight. She heard Ruby scream a long drawn „Nooooo!" her body aches and she finally lost consciousness. Her last thought was that Ruby would die, too. And she meant so much to Jaune, a best friend, someone who understood him. And Jaune would lose her, too.

Cinder saw the world turn silver. Her smirk vanished and turned into a grimace of agony and irritation. How could this damn girl cause her so much pain? She was useless without her stupid weapon and she wasn't even near her! What was power did this child possess? Cinder fell down to her knees. Her bow dropped. She was unable to shoot. Her pain finally robbed her of her consciousness.

Dying was not so bad, actually. The silver light. Moonlight. Hmm. What have we here, Pyrrha thought to herself. She could think, which meant, that one way or another she was existing. A form of afterlife? Maybe she could open her eyes? She tried to do so. Light was blinding her. She blinked and her eyes got used to it. She could keep them open and look around. Her body aches as she pushed herself up. She looked around. So. Either this was an interesting form of afterlife or… she was alive and back in her bedroom at her parents house… or it had all been the strangest of dreams. Beacon. Jaune. Her team, her friends… she started to suspect that it was the second option. How, she could not explain. But … there was was the little bell her mother always put by her bedside when she had been too ill to get out of her bed herself. She carefully took it up. It was bright red with a black handle and black and white details. It was a pretty think and she had always loved it. It meant security on a higher level. Things might be bad, feel bad or hurt. But if help was needed it was given upon a simple signal. Her favourite memory was when she had a broken leg while still being at her early training. She had found her semblance just two months before. She had used it to ring the bell. She trained so often with it that almost the thought alone was sufficient enough. Her mother had been annoyed by all the false alarms. Pyrrha smiled at her memory. But once she mastered it she stopped doing it for fun. That bell meant so much to her. Either afterlife was this detailed or… she had a thought. She put down the bell, then concentrated. The bell was gently lifted and rang. The sound as sweet as it has ever been. Much sweeter however was the sound of her mother approaching. Her mother saw her and smiled a big, happy smile. „Pyrrha! You're awake! How are you feeling?" her mother rushed over to hug her. It felt wonderful, yet it was also painful. „I'm sorry!" her mother said and let go. „Your bruises must hurt, don't they?" „They do. My whole body aches. What happened? I… I saw all this silver light and then… the next thing I know is that I'm here? How did I get here?"

„Your friends brought you back home to me yesterday evening. Unconscious and bruised all over. Jaune told me something about you running off to fight the fall maiden?"

„Long story, mom. Where is he? Are Ren and Nora here, too?"

„Indeed they are. Saphron is giving them a tour through the city. She made a fuss over Jaune" she laughed „They're all staying with her and her wife by the way. She insisted"

„And… Saphron is.. who?" Pyrrha inquired

„Jaunes sister, of course"

„I didn't know he had a sister here…"

„From what I heard most of the Arc siblings stayed at home or close by. Except for Jaune going to Beacon and Saphron coming to Arkos."

There was a knock on the door downstairs. Hope flickered into life in Pyrrha. A second chance.. to be with Jaune… to kiss him again…her mother ran for the door and answered. Pyrrha heard her talk excitedly to… Jaune. Then to Ren and Nora. But she couldn't understand anything because Jaune ran up the stairs and across the landing to her room. He skitted to a sudden halt in front of her door and looked shifty and sheepishly at her.

„Err… hi" he said „Glad to see you're awake" he looked so uncertain and shy. And adorably cute. How could she not fall in love with him every time she looked at him? Heck, even the thought of him made her yearn for him.

He looked at her. She looked hurt, beaten and apart from being awake not much better than she had in the last few days since he and his team had left Beacon with her in tow. Cinder had been hard on her. But she smiled at him. Her smile was shy but also inviting. She reached out for him and he carefully walked over and sat down next to her on her bed. She turned around and leaned against him. He carefully put his arm around her and she sighed with content. „How are you feeling?" he asked carefully. Her bruises and the cuts looked bad and in direct contrast to the happy smile her face.

„My bruises hurt… but I'm fine, just now"

He looked at her, upset, worried, sheepish. She took his hand and sometimes switched in his face. He leaned closer and she met him halfway to gently kiss him.

**A/N: I am fully aware why Pyrrha had to die and... what can you do about it? Nothing, besides wishing someone came to her rescue early enough to save her. If that someone had a few moments more time to use their superpower to defeat her murderer. If only...**


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